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Published on: February 2, 2017
Parent-Reported Measures of Weight-Related Health Behaviors in Early Childhood: A Scoping Review
Carlin F Aloe1, Esther I Tsai2, Sydney V Lagalante3
1Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Insights
Pediatricians need better tools to assess early childhood weight-related behaviors. Current questionnaires primarily focus on feeding, with few reporting psychometric data for primary care use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Health Behavior Assessment
Background:
- Pediatricians play a crucial role in guiding families toward healthy behaviors.
- There's a recognized gap in validated, practical tools for assessing weight-related health behaviors in children up to 24 months.
- Existing measures often lack comprehensive psychometric validation for early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a scoping review of parent-reported measures for weight-related health behaviors and parenting practices in early childhood.
- To summarize evidence on the validity and pragmatism of these questionnaires.
- To identify research gaps in this area.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive scoping review was performed across multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane).
- Included studies were peer-reviewed, original research in English, focusing on parent-reported measures with psychometric results or primary care use.
- Data on setting, questionnaire, and psychometrics were systematically extracted and summarized.
Main Results:
- The review analyzed 223 articles from over 26,000 initial records, identifying 100 unique questionnaires.
- The majority (90%) of questionnaires focused on feeding practices and dietary intake; fewer addressed sleep (13%), screen time (13%), or physical activity (12%).
- Among questionnaires used in primary care (52 articles), only 35% reported psychometric analyses.
Conclusions:
- Current parent-reported questionnaires for early childhood weight-related behaviors are heavily skewed towards feeding practices.
- A significant lack of psychometric validation exists for questionnaires utilized in primary care settings.
- There is a critical need for comprehensive, valid, reliable, and pragmatic tools to screen for early childhood obesity risk.
Abstract:
Background: Pediatricians support families in establishing healthy behaviors, yet there is limited information on valid and pragmatic questionnaires for assessing weight-related health behaviors in early childhood (≤24 months). The objective of this review is to summarize the evidence on parent-reported measures of weight-related health behaviors and/or parenting practices (e.g., feeding practices, dietary intake, sleep duration/routine, physical activity/sedentary behavior, and screen time) in early childhood. Methods: We conducted a scoping review by searching MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane from inception to May 2025 (Open Science Framework Protocol https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ME5KW). Articles included were peer reviewed, original research, published in English, and parent-reported measures of weight-related health behaviors in early childhood that reported psychometric results and/or were used in primary care. Trained reviewers systematically extracted details on the setting, questionnaire, and psychometrics. Findings were summarized using descriptive analysis. Results: Our search yielded 26,642 articles with a final data set of 223 articles. Of the 100 unique questionnaires identified, most (90%) assessed parents' feeding practices and/or children's dietary intake; few assessed sleep duration/routine (13%), screen time (13%), and/or physical activity/sedentary behavior (12%). Of the 52 articles describing questionnaires used in primary care, 35% reported psychometric analyses. Conclusions: Most questionnaires measuring weight-related health behaviors in early childhood assessed parent feeding practices and/or children's dietary intake. Few questionnaires used in primary care reported psychometric results. Comprehensive, valid, reliable, and pragmatic questionnaires of health behaviors in early childhood are needed in the primary care settings to standardize screening for obesity risk in early childhood.
